City Council Agenda and Packet 2023 10 10 SP

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Renewably Powerable I Miscellaneous Equipment Electrification Miscellaneous Equipment Conversion Plan Small gasoline engines, like those in gas powered riding mowers and garden equipment, are fast becoming a significant contributor to smog forming air pollution. These small engines emit hundreds of times more pollutants per hour than automobile engines. New lithium battery powered riding mowers, park equipment, and leaf blowers compete effectively compared to gasoline powered tools regarding power and performance, and have significantly longer operating run times than older electric models. On top of that, these new tools are quieter and will not produce the lingering gasoline smells that are an unhealthy indicator of the fumes and pollution that gasoline powered equipment produce. Current Equipment The city currently has three departments that own the majority of the small engine vehicles and equipment: the golf department, parks and recreation, and open space. Equipment by Department Open Parks Lawn mowers account for80% of total emissions Equipment by Type Equipment Oty Equipment Oty Aerator 1 Mower 35 ATV 18 Roller 1 Blower 3 Saw 1 Golf Cart 3 Skid Chainsaw 2 Sprayer Chipper 2 Tractor Forklift 1 Trimmer Generator 11 Washer Loader 1 80% Mower $1.5114 ■ Like -Like Replacement Cost ■ Electric Replact ■ % of Emissions Other $2.1M Small Engine Electrification Most the small engine equipment type categories currently have electric equivalents available. The categories that do not or have very limited choices are, tractors, skid, loaders, chippers, and rollers. Some of these types of equipment are actively being developed. Additionally, in the mower category there are some specialty golf course lawn mowers that do not have a good electric choice. Unfortunately, unlike the fleet electric vehicles, most of the electric lawn care equipment does not have battery warranty that matches the equipment warranty. As this technology matures, the warranties will get better. Another large hurdle for this equipment is the cost of the electrified version. Most electric versions of the non -handheld equipment is about 1.75 times the cost of the gas version. Maintenance costs are lower, but not enough to offset the initial up front cost. It is recommended to replace existing equipment that is at the end of its life (most large equipment is replaced by the department every 8 years) with the electric equivalent. Refueling & Charging With the newest battery technology available, most of the larger equipment is able to operate during a typical work day. This equipment isn't designed for battery swap out in the field, so if the battery charge got low the operator would need to plug it in somewhere to charge or switch to a different piece of equipment. Typically they would need to switch to a different piece of equipment. The charging time for this equipment isn't fast enough to get a full charge in a reasonable amount of time. For smaller hand-held equipment, spare batteries can be carried along to change out when the charge gets low. Additional training may be required to get operators use to carrying around extra batteries that are fully charged. When the city switches the fleet vehicles to EV's, most work style trucks may have the ability to charge auxiliary devices like batteries for small hand held equipment. For most of this equipment it is recommended that everything be charged overnight as it is unlikely that anything would be able to be charged during the day and used that same day. Charging Most small motor equipment will require at least a 120v 15amp circuit to charge. It is recommended that there is one dedicated plug for each piece of equipment. Additional electrical infrastructure will be needed to make charging plugs accessible to all equipment where it is stored. Battery Life Battery technology is improving significantly year to year. Most batteries are lithium based and have longer life spans than the equipment. Depending on the manufacturer, the battery warranty may or may not match the typical equipment life. For small hand-held equipment, purchasing extra batteries will allow for longer use and does not add much cost. For larger equipment, the battery can be a significant part of the cost and having a second battery on hand will be cost prohibitive. In addition, the larger equipment isn't always designed for quick battery change outs. Similar to electric vehicles batteries for this type of equipment will eventually have warranty life greater than the cities typical use. CITY OF LOUISVILLE I FINAL REPORT V3 1 INTERNAL DECARBONIZATION PLAN 119 32